BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

CANTON – An opioid settlement with Johnson and Johnson as part of a class action lawsuit could bring significant funding for the county.

Stephen Button told legislators Monday that the county has been involved in ongoing litigation with manufacturers and distributors of Oxycontin, who have been accused of contributing to the opioid epidemic that has devastated communities across the nation.

St. Lawrence County has seen a significant number of overdoses, deaths and crimes related to the epidemic.

Recently legislators gave approval for a similar settlement being litigated against Purdue Pharma.

“About a month and a half ago, Johnson and Johnson started their test case down on Long Island. And that test case ultimately resulted in a settlement,” he said. “From that there was a framework developed that would identify what the other plaintiffs would be eligible to receive.”

Button said St. Lawrence County could receive between $300,000 and $700,000 in the settlement. He said the exact amount will be determined by the number of counties that agree to it. He said the more that agree, the higher the amount will be and added that he expects the county will be nearer the top end than the bottom.

“From what I have been informed the counties are in fact signing on to this agreement,” he said.

He said counties have until Sept. 9 to sign on.

Button said the vast majority of the settlement will be restricted to be used for purposes related to opioid recovery. This could be bolstering law enforcement, funding recovery programs or a variety of other measures.

However $150,000 of the settlement would come up front and would be unrestricted.

Legislator Kevin Acres voted against the measure.

Legislators signed on to a lawsuit in 2017 after it was determined that it has the second highest opioid related inpatient hospitalization rate in the state. The county also has a high rate of opioid overdose deaths.

He noted that it’s a legal drug, highly regulated and prescribed by doctors.

He says doctors should be held responsible for over prescribing the drug. Acres voted against the Purdue Pharma settlement as well for the same reasons.

At that time, County Attorney Stephen Button explained that it was the marketing process and information provided to doctors that prompted the responsibility from the manufacturer. The allegation is that the dosage and recommendations made to doctors failed to identify the potential for abuse and addiction associated with the dosages suggested by manufacturers.